Portable enclosures are used for a number of purposes. One important characteristic of portable enclosures is their lightweight design, and the ability to collapse the enclosure to a small size is an important advantage. Weather resistant enclosures in particular are widely used, finding applications in construction, greenhouses, ice fishing huts, insulated enclosures, disaster relief accommodation, storage sheds, paint spray booths, army and mining exploration accommodation, dust control, and many other uses.
Construction enclosures, for example, are used to facilitate outdoor construction during inclement, and especially cold, weather conditions. Typically the construction crew will erect a scaffold around the construction site and tie tarps to the scaffolding as wind barriers. However, it is difficult to tension the tarps sufficiently to prevent billowing in windy areas, and the insulation and wind-resistance value of such an enclosure is poor because the seams between adjacent tarps can never be uniform or properly sealed. Moreover, tying the tarps is a time consuming and labour intensive task which can add significantly to the cost of the construction.
For other applications such as temporary accommodation and storage, a suitable frame or rigid panels must be used to create a self-standing enclosure that will resist deformation and collapse in windy conditions. Typically such supporting structures and rigid panels are relatively heavy and bulky, increasing the cost of transporting the enclosure from site to site. In each case there must be a balance struck between the weight of the enclosure and its structural integrity.
Collapsible partitions and screens are used in many of the same applications, as well as in space management in offices and commercial premises, theatrical arts, crowd control, awnings, blinds and for many other uses. Again, the competing considerations of weight and structural integrity have rendered the design of such partitions problematic.